Shakespeare Festival St. Louis has named Jennifer Wintzer as the interim producing director, as former artistic and executive director Rick Dildine moves to his new job as the artistic director at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Under Dildine’s leadership, who held his position since 2009, the festival’s attendance and revenue grew by 30 percent.

The board of the festival has chosen Wintzer as an interim until the board completes its search for a permanent leader that will guide the festival into the future. As the Director of Community Engagement and Education, Wintzer has headed community and education initiatives such as Shakespeare in the Streets and SHAKE 38.

“As the board considered interim leadership, our immediate and first choice was Jennifer, who has the respect of the organization as well as the local and national theater company,” Penny Pennington, the board president of the festival, says. “Under her leadership, our patrons and supporters can expect a continuation of the excellence we’ve produced on the stage for nearly two decades.”

Prior to her move to St. Louis, Wintzer worked with New York theaters such as the Lincoln Center Theater, Second Stage Theater, and MCC Theater as an art administrator.

In addition to Wintzer, the board also announced that Bruce Longworth will continue on as associate artistic director, and Taibi Magar, an Egyptian-American director based in New York, will direct Romeo and Juliet at next summer’s festival.

Through community programs, educational programming, and exceptional performances, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis has surpassed one million people in attendance since its inception in 2001, including more than 710,000 people attending the free main stage productions in Forest Park.

The next Shakespeare in the Streets performance, a King Lear adaptation titled Blow, Winds, is scheduled for September 15 through 17 at the St. Louis Public Library Central Library.